The role of The Joker in The Dark Knight is one which Heath Ledger threw himself into, and his performance was met with both an Academy Award and universal critical acclaim. He wouldn't live to see any of that though, as Ledger died from an overdose months before the release of the 2008 movie. There are those who believe that the troubled star's death may have been caused by the mindset he got into to portray this twisted version of the iconic villain, especially as his preparation sounds so downright bizarre. That included locking himself up in a hotel room and keeping a diary of The Joker's thoughts. For example, he jotted down the fact that he believed the character would find topics such as AIDS and land mines extremely amusing. There's nothing to say that playing The Joker led to Ledger's overdose, but you have to wonder what kind of strain exploring this kind of villain's outlook must have resulted in...
